I post this track with heavy heart as the news broke today that one of my all-time favorite bands have decided to pack it in for good. I’ve been a WEEN fan since the early 1990s and have seen Dean (Mickey Melchiondo) and Gene (Aaron Freeman) numerous times over the years. I could have seen […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Obvious” by Jane’s Addiction
I went to great lengths in yesterday’s Song Of The Day explaining why I think Perry Farrell’s Porno For Pyros outfit was far superior to Jane’s Addiction. Well, with all of that said, I still think Jane’s Addiction was a great vehicle for Farrell’s singular talents, and as a band they made a few essential […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Snake Drive” by R.L. Burnside
Along with fellow musician Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside didn’t see any fame until he was well into his ’70s. He spent much of his life living in poverty playing the blues in his native Holly Springs, Mississippi. It wasn’t until he was signed to the Mississippi independent Fat Possum record label in the early 1990s […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Idioteque” by Radiohead
For a while there, Radiohead took on the mantle that Pink Floyd left behind in the 1970s. Both bands released a triumvirate of important influential albums: In Floyd’s case there was “Dark Side Of The Moon,” “Wish You Were Here” and “Animals,” not to mention the Sid Barrett years that preceded them. With Radiohead, we […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “The Free Design” by Stereolab
Stereolab’s sound melded European lounge pop with progressive rock to form some of the most pleasurable music of the 1990s. On stage, they were capable of fierce extended psychedelic wig-outs which moved them into early Pink Floyd territory, except they always had the smooth emotionless voices of Laetitia Sadier and Mary Hansen floating above the […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Two Princes” by Spin Doctors
Whatever happened to The Spin Doctors? They seemingly came out of nowhere in the 1990s to dominate the charts, only to fade away just as fast. The band formed in New York around vocalist Chris Barron and guitarist Eric Schenkman. An earlier version of the band also featured John Popper who went on to form […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “We Will Commit Wolf Murder” by of Montreal
of Montreal formed in 1996 around key member Kevin Barnes and was part of the Elephant 6 collective that gave us the bands Apples In Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control, Beulah and Neutral Milk Hotel. Their sound is a little bit Prince, a little bit Bowie, some Queen, a heaping helping of prog rock and an […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Something Came Over Me” by Wild Flag
Featuring members of Sleater-Kinney, Helium and The Minders, Wild Flag joined forces last year labeled a supergroup. I always thought supergroups happened when members of really well-known bands came together to form new bands with even more marquee strength. With Wild Flag, Sleater-Kinney is the only band of the three that ever made a dent […]
Song Of the Day by Eric Berman – “Midnight City” by M83
France’s M83 is so epically 1980s that even the band’s name references the decade. In actuality, M83 named themselves for a celestial galaxy called Messier 83 and the “band” really boils down to French musician Anthony Gonzalez and whomever he chooses to work with on a project. This song comes from their breakthrough 6th album, […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Everyday I Love You Less And Less” by Kaiser Chiefs
Seven years is a lifetime in the music industry, and so it goes for Kaiser Chiefs. Their debut album, “Employment,” hit the shelves in 2005 giving fans a collection of taught exhilarating early XTC-inspired songs harking back to late ’70s New Wave and Punk Rock. They have released three subsequent albums to less acclaim especially […]
